Studio Drumming Basics

Jeremy during the first Masceo Recording.

I just finished a recording session with a great friend and bass player at his amazing Pro Tools based home studio.  Now it has been a while since I was “under the mic”, but within minutes and a test playback I was reminded of a few fundamentals of studio drumming. 

Studio drumming isn’t like live drumming.  You aren’t there to show off to a crowd and you don’t have that crowd to feed off of for energy.  In the live situation you can make a tiny mistake and move on, in the studio all your neurons need to be firing, any small mistake can turn into a big mistake later.  In the studio you have the click, the pressures of time, but most importantly you have to think about how the end result will sound.

Have you ever recorded yourself playing, especially with a live band, and listened back to the tapes?  I bet you were surprised the first time you did.  I know when I first put my work on tape I wasn’t happy with the end result.  I quickly noticed that my overplaying made the song sound cluttered and messy. 

Now back to my recent studio session. 

We recorded me playing for a bit while we got drum sounds so I jammed away playing a lot of grace notes on the snare and silly fills around the kit.  On the playback I was reminded how these constant grace notes and complex fills could “stop-up the drain” and clog the song.  So when the red light hit I made the conscious effort to stick to solid snare hits and the occasional grace note to “spice” the track.  The playback sounded better and the engineer had room to add more of his own garnishing to the song.  

When it came to fills I was reminded how important tuned toms can be.  Fills on a recording need to blend with the rest of the groups "band hits", you can't be hitting an 8" tom when the band is playing a real low note. You have to move with those notes and articulate your hits with confidence and precision.  It is not about standing out, but rather properly accenting the song.  Josh Freese is a master at this. Check out his playing through his website at http://www.joshfreese.com.

If you ever want to hear how important recording your playing can be listen to any Steve Gadd recording, live or studio based.  Check out his website at http://www.drstevegadd.com/ to learn more if you don't already know the name. Gadd is considered the master of the groove and perfect timing.  He has basically lived his entire career in the studio and in those experiences he has definitely heard his playing under the unrelenting ears of the microphone.  In the end he has developed a way to make the song happen while getting out of the way so the collaboration of the group could create some of the world’s greatest hits.  “Fifty ways to leave your lover” anyone?

Sometimes it’s hard to keep it simple. Trust me I know.  Creating space while you are playing separates the pros from the amateurs.  Beethoven once said: “It isn’t the notes I play that make me great, but rather the spaces in between.”  On the other end of the spectrum take modern country music.  Engineers, artists and producers in Nashville create amazing recordings because they create spaces that are filled in by other elements, much like a perfect moving gear…just enough guitar, just enough steel, and underneath just enough drums and bass to build upon.  As a drummer in the studio you must create a solid feel and open up that space so others in the recording can fit in.  It is all about unity and harmony if you want a top-notch recording. 

On the day of the recording do everything you can to stay relaxed.  Studio drumming is all about staying in the pocket and being glued to the click. You will need to be relaxed and focused to achieve that goal. Try to get a good nights sleep the evening before, get up a bit early, eat a good breakfast and warm up those hands before you hit the studio.  Get to the recording session early so you can properly set-up and tune your drums.  I like to show up before the rest of the band so I have time to myself to focus on getting my kit perfectly positioned and properly tuned. 

When it comes to gear I always bring my kit even if the studio supplies one because you never know what you may or may not need.  I always bring a selection of snares and cymbals too.  It is amazing how different your cymbals and especially your snare sounds under the microphone.  Bring extra new heads just in case and duct tape or Moon Gel to get rid of unwanted ring.  You will need it in the studio as an engineer can always add resonance to your drums, but taking it away is a real bitch.

Well there you go a quick heads-up on studio drumming.  I am sure I will write about this again so stay tuned and keep on drumming!

Give em' Some Space!

I just got off of a five and a half month cruise contract playing jazz with a wonderful quartet.  It was a great time, but it feels even better to avoid shaving and donning three-piece suits for a while.  In my time home I have visited many open mic jam sessions, and in doing so I have come to realize that sometimes we all make music much more complicated than it needs to be.  So this week I want to touch on how we can be better on-the-spot players.

The first thing we all need to realize is that popular music is relatively simple.  Record companies and producers make it that way because the average listener responds better to structured music.  Now I know there is a lot of great complicated music out there by artists such as Yes, Rush, and Herbie Hancock.  But today let us focus on popular music, be it country, blues, rock and roll, or even jazz.

Songs Sections:

If you ever learned to read music you will quickly find out that most songs are broken down into sections that can be subdivided by four.  Your verse may be eight your chorus eight or sixteen, and the bridge will usually be a combination of the two. Understanding this simple math will make you a much better on-the-spot player right out of the gate.  You will be able to anticipate what will happen next in the song and able to change your feel at that right moment when the songs shifts from verse to chorus to bridge etc.

The bridge: 

This is probably the most elusive section for “green” musicians.  We all know that someone is soloing, but we often do not know where to go while they are playing away.  One of my teachers explained it best.  “As rhythm players you provide a couch for the soloist to sit on.”  What that means is that we must continue through the form while they solo.  This is best heard in jazz recordings where the rhythm section simply plays the changes of the verse and chorus section, they call it the A&B sections, underneath the solo.  This allows the listener to hear the original tune with the soloing melody on top.

Communicate:

Dave Matthews Band is known for being great communicators on the stage.  They aren’t afraid to make eye contact as they jam away.  The same should be true in your pick-up situations.  You’d be surprised at how tight a song can be if you are looking at each other or at the very least make visual cues for breaks and endings.

Know the Tunes:

The great bassist Ron Carter once held a clinic for a roomful of eager bassists and other musicians waiting to be passed down his secrets to success.  He got up on stage and pointed to an audience member and asked them to name a tune.  He then played the tune on the spot.  He repeated this process for close to an hour stood up and stated his parting words. “If you want to work that is what you need to do.”  Know the songs in your genre, and if you want to play for a living at least learn the most popular ones in each genre.  You’d be amazed at how much work you get and hold with such studies.

Well that is all for today.  I am off to my practice pad and Pj’s as I await my next cruise ship departure.  Talk to you soon!

A Reading Challenge

I met a great pianist on this past contract and got to know a little about his years in the music business over many dinners together.  It turns out that this amazing player actually started out as a big-band drummer spending many of his childhood years in New York working in this complex style of drumming before making his way out to LA to study with some of the best teachers.

At his first college audition he was presented with a very difficult challenge.  He was asked to site read parts from the iconic snare drumming manual Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony J. Cirone.   It was this story that peaked my interest about the manual and pushed me to download it from Amazon's Kindle service for my iPad.

For all you drummers who think you are a great reader this book will challenge your personal opinions about your ability.  The manual covers a number of rudimental styled snare drum solos that will challenge even the most ambitious drummer.  There are lessons in 4/4, 2/4, 6/3, 3/8, single beats and ones that cover a number of changing time signatures.  And if the time signatures couldn't challenge you enough the stickings will.  You will be forced to do flams and ruffs into six stroke, seven stroke and nine stroke rolls all in weird time markings. Perhaps the books greatest attribute is the use of dynamic markings and accents in the most unusual places all designed to turn regular drummers into great musicians.

I have been working through the pages for about three weeks now and I am starting to understand many of the lessons, but the work has just begun.  Each page must be practiced slowly and diligently.  At times I have to break out a pen and paper to figure out what is written, but I am on a quest to be a better musician so I accept the challenge with open arms.  As I am learning there is a reason that Modern Drummer magazine placed this book in their Top 25 Drumming manuals.  Download it today at Amazon Portraits of Rhythm, grab your metronome and get ready to work.

Can You Hear Me Now?

It was probably the scariest story I have ever heard as a drummer.  It came from an elder statesman in our craft, and it changed his life forever.

It took just one rim shot and the ringing in his ears started almost instantly and never went away.  Eventually the tinnitus took over his life.  He had trouble sleeping at night with that constant humming in his ear.  He went to countless doctors and eventually had surgery to remove the bone that protects his eardrum, the root of his problem.  Now he has to wear hearing aids constantly.  He almost lost his ability to hear and with that his ability to play drums, all because he didn’t wear earplugs.

Immediately after learning his tale I have taken ear protection on the gig, in the practice room, and behind the kit much more seriously.  I think we all should because hearing isn’t like other things in our life were you loose it for a little bit, retrain yourself and get it back.  Once you loose your hearing, any part of your hearing, it is gone forever.  Have you ever been at a loud rock concert and left with that ringing in your ear?  That is a sign of permanent hearing loss.  And if you don’t think playing drums is just as loud as a rock concert, have I got a wake-up call for you.  That China cymbal you bang away on alone is louder than a passenger jet taking off, and like my buddy it only takes on hit to change your life forever.

There are many types of hearing protection on the market.  You can use the disposable gummies you roll up with your finger and insert into the ear canal that cost a couple bucks.  There are the orange hard rubber ones that you twist in that you can buy at Wal*Mart for under ten bucks.  Finally for you serious folk there are the custom molded plugs that come with a choice of noise reduction, they call it attenuation, and I use a 15 reduction in my left (hi-hat ear) and 10 in my right.  This is what I use every time I sit behind the kit, or at a loud show.  

(Picture from http://hearnet.com/) 

Getting this protection was easy and pretty cheap.  I think I paid under $150 and they have lasted me for four years now of constant road use.   I visited a local audiologist who specialized in hearing aids; got a mold made and sent it into Westone http://www.westone.com/ and they did the rest.  At the same time I also purchased a set of their dual driver In-Ear Monitors, but that is a whole other post.

 

To learn more about hearing loss visit this great website on the subject.  http://hearnet.com/ , Westone has a wealth of information at http://www.westone.com/hearing/hearing-and-your-ears. I encourage all you serious drummers out there to start protecting your greatest asset today.  Before it’s too late. 

A Steve Gadd Story Story from my Boss.

I was recently stressing out about a drum chart that gave me some trouble on the gig. I approached the bandleader to apologize for not getting it right the first time. "Don't worry about it. It isn't that important" he replied. But being the perfectionist I am I kept on stressing. Then he told me a story about Steve Gadd.

It turns out that my boss had the great pleasure to play with the legendary drummer. Not only did Gadd back him up, but he also played my bandleader's arrangements and even remarked on their top quality and readability. Anyway, back to my story.

My boss told me about his time sharing the stage with Gadd. He told me "you know when we rehearsed Gadd made mistakes, he wasn't perfect. The thing that separated him was that when he came back for the gig that night it was perfect."

As drummers we tend to look up to our heroes and place them on this pedestal, thinking that they have superhuman powers. Many do, and I am not belittling anyone, but we must all remember that with a little hard work, practice, and perseverance you can acquire great things with your craft. Just as Gadd did. Remember it was, and still is, his hard work that sets him apart.

Accent your drumming!

Getting bored with my normal practice routine I decided to invest in a few books to work on something new.  Luckily for me Amazon’s Kindle collection allowed me to download Joe Morello’s books Master Studies and Master Studies II.  I purchased Master Studies first and worked through Morello’s exercises daily for about four weeks.  Feeling comfortable with the lessons in manual one I decided to download and move onto Master Studies II.

Now Joe created his exercises based on the drumming bible Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone, and when you compare the two works you can see a number of similarities in the lessons, however Joe added something unique to his stickings, namely accents.

At first I chose not to include the accents in my practice routine as Joe’s stickings were hard enough, but over time I slowly added them into the routine.  For a while I didn’t think I was gaining any ground using Morello’s lessons, in fact I felt that the book did nothing more than help warm me up for the nights four hour gigs with my jazz quartet. 

Then, as all lessons go when you continually put the time and continued effort into them, I started to realize that my playing had developed into something new thanks to those accents.

Let me explain something to you about swing.  Fundamentally it is the same for all styles of jazz.  You have your basic swinging ride with the hat on two and four, your left hand dancing on the snare, and the occasional bombs dropped on your bass drum.  But when you start adding accents to your swing you develop a whole new sound.  In fact when you look at past jazz masters you can actually see how the simple addition of accents can make a world of difference.  Take these two swing patterns that I found in the pages of John Riley’s Jazz drumming book The Jazz Drummer's Workshop.

By simply changing the accents on his ride cymbal Elvin created a whole new sound spectrum.

For me I started to notice that thanks to my work with Morello’s manuals I was able to add accents to my ride swing patterns in various locations.  These simple accents allowed me to mimic my bass players walking rhythms and pianists comping.  The introduction of these accents allowed me to add more depth to my swing and to become a better jazz drummer.

For you rock, fusion, country and pop guys adding accents to your playing can help you give the music your own unique sound while not getting in the way of the song.  I suggest that you try out Morello’s exercises and see how you can learn from one of drumming’s greatest masters.

Thank You Steve Jobs!

This week the world mourned the loss of the modern age’s Thomas Edison.  For the past thirty years computer genius and entrepreneur Steve Jobs helped propel the concept of personal computing to new heights by merging the ideas of technology and entertainment and then promoting that concept on a plethora of devices such as the Macintosh Computer, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.  There is no question as to Job’s contribution to the advancement of our society, but many musicians forget about how all his little devices have helped elevate our playing to new levels.

iPod:

I purchased my first iPod when the device was released to the public over a decade ago.  From the very beginning I realized how this little music player could help my practice routine.  Before I acquired the iPod I had to rely on a multiple disc player that was cumbersome and limited my available practice locations.  Each day I had to load five CD’s into the carousel and if I wanted to work with a different disc I had to spend hours searching my physical library for the right album to jam with.  This greatly reduced the efficiency of my practice routine.  Then came the iPod.  After the initial time spent ripping all of my music to the player I was able to practice virtually anywhere and had the ability to find that certain disc to work with in seconds.  I could create playlists, store them, and then jam with them without taking the time to find the next CD or even waiting for that cumbersome disc player’s carousel to switch discs.  My practice time became more efficient and I became a better and more rounded player because of it.

The MAC:

There are many arguments as to which computer is better, the PC or the MAC, and all I can tell you is my experience with the power of the MAC.  My first original band “Masceo” multi-tracked an entire album onto my MacBook Pro laptop, and I think the system crashed maybe twice during the whole experience. Today the concept of the home studio has elevated to the point that musicians can easily express their ideas from a single room in their house with a quality that rivals many professional studios.  For many their MAC is central point to this experience and another testament to Job’s quality ingenuity. 

iTunes:

Before the iPod and iTunes I needed to buy a whole disc for $16 to get the tracks I needed to practice with for my next gig.  Now with iTunes I can acquire single tracks for 99¢, drop them in a playlist and practice until I get those licks right.  And as Apple’s database of music grows I can find even the most obscure tracks and experience new drummers with the click of a mouse (which Job’s helped bring to the world by the way).

GarageBand:

It’s simple to use and provides a great tool for musicians.  I often record my live performances and rehearsals and then dump them into GarageBand to cut em’ up and listen to my day’s work.  I’ve even made a few live albums through this method, and I am not the only one.  On a plane trip to Nashville I was sitting next to a producer and new artist who were listening to her demo tracks in GarageBand and making notes for the future recording session that most probably would be recorded into a MAC.

iPad:

I didn’t think I needed one of these.  Boy was I wrong.  On this last cruise contract I wasn’t able to bring my practice manuals with me, but I needed something to work with.  With the iPad I was able to download a number of practice books including drumming bibles “Stick Control”, “Ted Reeds Syncopation”, and Joe Morello’s “Master Studies” quickly from Amazon.  And for those on-the-fly jazz gigs my iPad has all the Real Books in PDF format for quick reference.  The thing even has a metronome and drumming bible app and houses reading material, and the game Angry Birds, for the breaks between sets.

The truth is Job’s technology has touched virtually every member of the world.  As a former printing company owner and past photojournalist I have seen the MAC evolve from a small toaster oven computer into the central point for the print and news industries.  When I made music my life I quickly learned that the MAC was central point in the studio and on the road thanks to it’s reliability and rock solid design.  This week the world lost a genius and us musicians lost a man who inadvertently made us all better at what we do.  R.I.P.  Mr. Job’s.

Fundamentals of jazz versus rock.

I recently was hired for a six-month contract with a jazz quartet.  Now I’ve played jazz before with trios, quartets and even big bands so I had some knowledge going into the gig, but I had been playing rock and country for the past three years so it felt like I was heading back to my hometown after being away for years.  I mean I still knew the streets, but a lot had changed.

Luckily for me the leader of this band was heavily experienced in the concept of, let’s say, classic jazz.  A former pianist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, child prodigy, and killer big band arranger this guy new what he wanted to make the gig work.  In our first conversation I caught him telling me a story about past experiences with Miller Orchestra drummers.  As the rhythm leader he wanted one thing “give the horn section air conditioning with that hi-hat on 2&4.”

Now Ron’s story reminded me of my lessons with famed drummer Kenwood Dennard.  I had arrived in Dennard’s lab seeking to better my swing and chart reading.  Our first lesson was on the fundamentals of jazz, meaning what went where.  Kenwood passed on a lesson he had learned from Dizzy Gillespie and informed me of one important fact of jazz.  “In jazz you have to make sure the band can hear your hi-hat.”  And so my studying of jazz fundamentals began.

In rock you keep the time with your kick drum and your snare.  With your heavier beat falling on one and three and the backbeat on two and four.  In jazz this concept is almost reversed.  The hi-hat and ride take over, with your hi-hat keeping time on two and four, and the ride providing the swing.  The snare is played a lot lighter and acts as an accent to mimic melody parts, and your bass drum drops the bombs to liven the story up. 

Take a listen to past masters.  A good place to start is Max Roach and Roy Haynes. Kenwood hipped me to “A Study in Brown” by the Clifford Brown and the Max Roach Quintet to open me up to the basics of jazz.  I encourage any new jazz drummer to take a listen to this great album, as Max was one of the most prominent pioneers of our craft.  These cats kept that hi-hat pumping on two and four and swang’ the band with that ride like it was nobodies business.  As jazz drumming history evolved new players like Elvin Jones came along and changed things up.  Elvin pretty much kept his hat around the two and four, but kept time with the entire kit flip flopping the beat with his infectious tom fills and snare drum comping rhythms.  Art Blakey used the snare to reinforce his time so well that I think Swiss watchmakers use him as the source of time for their products.  And then arrived Tony Williams and the concept of jazz evolved to a whole new level for the drummer.  But Tony is a whole other story that I am not ready, or schooled enough, to tell.

How to Get Drumming on a Cruise Ship.

So here you go folks?  A quick introduction into the process of finding cruise ship work...In video format so you don't even have to read!

Cymbal Sounds

I got a call from a drummer buddy the other day and he was psyched.  While putting together a new cymbal set-up he heeded my advice, well not really my advice but anyway, and decided to mix the sound spectrum placing Zildjian K’s in the ride and hi-hat position and Zildjian A’s on the crashes.  “It sounds great and mixes well” was his response.

What he is talking about is his cymbal sound spectrum.  A lot of drummers don’t pay much attention to this fact, but the great ones do.  It works like this.  As an old engineer friend of mine once related to me about mixing drums;  when mixing drums in the sound spectrum think of placing them on an imaginary bookshelf.  You put the kick and floor toms on the bottom shelf, snare in the middle and cymbals on the top.  I just took his sound advice, no pun intended, and applied it to cymbal acoustics.

Generally speaking you want your crashes to be on top of the ride and hats when it comes to drum set sound.  Your foundation cymbals, the ride and hi-hats are part of the solid groove to your sound; the crashes are actually accents in your playing.  So by using a brighter cymbal for those accents you get a different sound than your foundation brass. 

Now my buddy, a great heavy metal drummer, decided to switch the idea up and use brighter cymbals for his rides and hats and darker cymbals for his crashes.  Generally this is the same idea and it accomplishes the same task.  It separates your sound spectrum and helps your drums fill different head space in the EQ. 

 All manufacturers have different lines of dark and bright cymbals.  If you can give it a shot, mix up those choices and see how you can create your own cymbal sound spectrum.

The power of the single and double stroke

This week I want to talk about two fundamental movements for the drummer.  While analyzing the basic 26 American Corps Drum Rudiments I noticed that the stickings fall into four basic styles: flams, roughs, single strokes and double strokes.  Let’s put aside the flams and roughs for a moment and focus on the two very basic stickings: the single stroke and the double stroke.

The singles stroke is your typical RLRLRL…pattern.  When you let the sticks bounce this soon becomes your basic drum roll.  This is the predominant sticking when playing sixteenths, be it on the hi-hat for funk-based stuff or around the kit for a fill.

The double stroke is the RRLLRRLL…pattern, and consequently my favorite type of sticking because it gives the illusion of a single roll with one hand, say on the snare, while you move the other hand around the kit.

When analyzing the rudiments you will find that most of them are based on either one of these stickings, and some, like your paradiddles use both. 

The late Joe Morello new the importance of these two movements around the kit and often used a simple exercise with them to promote his “Master Studies” books.  The exercise goes like this.  Play four bars of single strokes(RLRL), than four bars of doubles (RRLL), and then four bars of single paradiddles (RLRR, LRLL).  You can increase to eight, sixteen or twenty-four bars of each per your liking.  Use a metronome to stay honest and increase your speed gradually without any spaces in between stickings.  For you double bass enthusiast out there the same exercises can be done with a double bass drum pedal or dual bass drums.  Either way you will be amazed at how quickly your skill sets will improve through the use of this exercise.

These movements are not just stickings, but rather a way to unlock complicated drum parts you may encounter.  Because most drumming will fall under one of these movements you can use that knowledge to figure out how your favorite drummer is moving around the kit.  Is he playing that fill hand to hand (LRLR) or with double strokes (RRLL)?  I often analyze new grooves by trying both movements and soon find that one produces an easier flow for the song, and surprisingly that is the right way the original guy played the part.

There are reasons that the rudiments are built around these two movements and with proper practice and insight they can help you unlock any complicated drum part.

Drum on!

How much does a Gold Album get you?

Here is the breakdown.  Prepare to be amazed (or disturbed)...

Our artist has made a gold record and sold 500,000 copies.  He has a royalty rate of 14%, pays the producer 3%.  Has recording costs of $250,000 and tour support of $50,000.

Wholesale Price (what they base your royalty rate on)                $12.05

Royalty Rate (14% all-in, minus 3% for producer)                       $1.32

Royalty X 500,000 Units                                                             $640,000

Less 10% Free Goods (Promo copies)                                      -$64,000

                                                                                                     ____________

                                                                                                     $576,000

Less: Recording Costs                                                                -$250,000

Less: 50% of Independent Promotion                                        -$75,000

Less: 50% of Video Costs                                                          -$50,000

Less: Tour Support                                                                     -$50,000

                                                                                                    ____________

Total:                                                                                          $151,000

To add salt in the wound the record company holds a reserve on your gross royalties ($576,000) meaning they keep 35-50% of your royalties in case your sales boomerang.  At 35% that is $201,600.  So in this first statement you get NOTHING. You may get that back if yo continue to sell, but they still have you.

And it gets worse…

Suppose you took the record companies advance of $300,000 towards this album.  That means after this album you are in the hole $149,000.  Which they will gladly take from the royalties of your next album, if you have a two-album deal.

Still want to become a rock star?

I got these figures from a great book “All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Entertainment Attorney Donald S. Passman.

Understanding the infamous 6/8 time signature.

I got an interesting text the other day.  A friend of mine was stuck in an argument over the difference between 6/8 and 3/4 time signatures.  She asked “can’t we just count 6/8 in 3/4 time because they add up mathematically?”  I thought it was a valid point after all time in music is just simply math and counting, and, yes, 6/8 can be divided into 3/4 in math.  But in music it is the way we count 6/8 that makes it different and helps give the music that “Latin” feel.  So I will try to explain.

3/4 time is quarter note based, meaning that each of the three notes is a quarter note.  Counted it would be one, two, three, one, two three, one, two, three… This is what I will call a straight forward based feel.  In Jazz we may give the “ones” a little longer of a feel creating that infamous swing feel.  6/8 is different because the musician must keep in mind that it is actually triplet based.  So one measure of 6/8 is actually two sets of triplets counted trip-e-let, trip-e-let…or a quicker 1,2,3,4,5,6...  In this 6/8 feel the usual snare hit that will fall on beat 2 in rock feels falls on the “let’s”(counted beats 3,6) of the 6/8 measure.  It gives the music that lift feel that is cornerstone to Latin music.

Now my friend was right because you can subdivide 6/8 into two 3/4 phrases and this will come in real handy if you ever have to play fast 6/8 music.  In these situations it is often difficult to count 1,2,3,4,5,6 over and over again real fast so I may count 1,2,3 in a quarter note counting method while playing the fast Latin 6/8 underneath.  I just have to remember that if the music calls for eight bars I can only count it in that quarter note 3/4 feel for four bars. 

This is one of those that you will have to practice with a metronome or a good written piece of music with an included audio file.  Or better yet go find a friend from one of the South American nations and ask to borrow some music. 

Understanding Drum Charts

Perhaps the one thing that scares drummers the most is reading a chart for a gig.  There is a lot of justification behind that fear.  Charts can be scary, especially if you have never read music before, and for those of us who have an understanding of note values the drum chart can still be scary.  On cruise ships and in pit bands charts are often handed down from drummer to drummer each bearing markings carried over from generation to generation resembling the changing show.  Entire sections can be scratched out.  Pencil, and worst yet pen marks, scar the entire piece making it difficult to decipher what you should be playing.   And to be honest many drummers do not understand how they should be reading the music that is in front of them in the first place.

For a drummer reading music is much different than any other member of the band, but with a few basic understandings of what is expected of you, you can achieve the task at hand.  I am going to assume that you have an understanding of what notes look like and what values those notes hold.  If you have never read music before you may want to start off by finding a basic music theory book that explains rhythms, for the drummer a simple snare drum reading book from grade school will work just fine.  Look for anything by Mel Bay or Alfred Music Group.  Once you understand the basics of notes you will be surprised at how easy reading a drum chart can be.  So let’s move on.

The fundamental rules for the chart-reading drummer are these.  You must keep the beat.  Even if you do not know what is happening on the music the band will require you to keep the music going.  After all the rest of the musicians just need to regurgitate what they see on the page.  KNOW THE ROAD MAP FIRST!  Look for repeats, D.S. signs and first and second endings.  You must know where you are going in the music. The second rule is this: drum charts are interpreted not read.  Very few composers will write out the exact beat and fills you are to play.  They understand that you must keep the music going so they will give you a basic understanding at the beginning and then fill in the bars with time slashes |////|////|////| so you know how many bars you are to keep the beat going. With practice you will learn to love this writing style because it gives you the freedom to be creative with your time keeping and add you own distinctive style to the music.

Section Hits and Ensemble Hits:

As you read through the chart you will begin to notice that the composer has written in specific hits throughout the piece.  These hits will be written above the bar line (Section Hits) and through the staff (Ensemble Hits).  Think of it like this if the hits are written above the staff you are to keep on playing and make the hits with the section that is playing those notes.  Keep these hits simple using the snare and/or bass drum to mimic what that part of the band is playing.  If the notes are written through the staff the entire group will be making the hits together and you will not be grooving through them.  These hits often occur at the beginning or end of the piece.

Setting Up the Band:

When you encounter Ensemble Hits it will be your job to set up the next hit.  Each drummer will develop their own style for this task but the basics of the job are the same.  You lead into the hit with a simple roll, flam, or other stylistic maneuver.  Your hits should be simple so the group can anticipate the hits together and make the stabs at the same time.  Listen to some old Buddy Rich, Joe Morello, or Peter Erksine so you can get an idea of what I am saying.     

Understanding the Markings:

Always look for the freshest set of markings.  I always take some time to talk with the band director before rehearsal to see which hits are the newest ones.  It never hurts to look over other instrument's music, especially the piano parts because they have both the treble and bass clef, so you can gauge what is happening in the piece.  And when it is your turn to mark charts ALWAYS USE A PENCIL.  If you are serious about your craft always carry a pencil and big eraser in your gig bag because when the gig is over you are usually required to clean your markings.  I always make notes to myself and have created my own little set of symbols to dictate what I should expect.  Circle those D.S., Coda, and repeat measures because it is vital that you know the road map over all the little hits.  In fact here is a little sight-reading tip.  Read through the road map first, then the specific hits.  You are the drummer and you must be able to keep the song going from start to finish no matter where all those repeat markings may take you!

 

Final Notes:

Drum charts are usually long with many pages for one piece and because we use all our limbs it may be hard to flip pages while keeping the groove.  I usually tape pieces together and use a double music stand or elongated piano stand for my charts.  Make sure you place your music in a spot that is convenient so you can read the music, see the band director, and actually hit all your drums easily.  Always use a stand light if you can, pencil markings are hard to read under low lights. 

If you do not have or can’t find the drum charts piano charts are best.  They cover both clefs and you can gauge what the bass and other top instruments will be doing. 

Broadway books will usually give you a kit set-up diagram at the beginning of the chart book.  You should set-up your kit as close to their recommendations as possible.  It will make your movement from song to song and drum to drum much more efficient. 

If you don’t read you will loose it, so take time to practice your reading.  Tommy Igoe has a great set of groove songs with charts available called “Groove Essentials 1.0 and 2.0”.  Steve Houghton has a great book called “The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology” and Bobby Gabriele has a great introductory book called “The Chart Reading Workbook.”

Finally you must understand playing to charts will require you to have your fundamental skills down solid.  You will be required to play different styles effortlessly.  Perhaps the biggest challenge will be independence.  Often you will have to keep a groove going while making the Section Hits.  All your limbs and your brain will need to be working on all cylinders.  You will need to have your basic time keeping, independence, and technical skills in check or it will be that much harder to bring the charts to life.  In return chart reading will step up your game.  You will begin to notice that well written music follows specific divisions of four in four, eight, twelve and sixteen bar sections.  After a while you will be able to feel when the music is about to change from section to section.  You will become a better musician and not just a drummer. 

The New Musical Customer.

“Let’s play “In the mood”, than “Moon River”, than “Blue Bossa”, hey wait were are all the customers?”

I can’t tell you how many bands I have worked with who do not understand the present market of music listeners.  A vital mistake that leads to an increasingly smaller crowd and eventually a lost gig.  These are all tunes we love to play along with other “Real Book” standards that show off our jazz skills, but something is missing.  That something…the understanding of who is in the audience and what music the customer is used to.

Let’s take cruise ships for example.  The average cruise guest is now about 46, based on what I have been told by countless Entertainment Directors.  Let’s take that and do some math. 

The average person develops their musical taste and memories around age 18.  So subtract 18 from46 and you get 28 years ago.  Now subtract 28 from 2011 and you get 1983.  That leads me to believe that the average customer on a cruise ship will respond to songs from the late 70’s through 80’s much better than those jazz tunes from the early 50’s and 60’s.  Sure there are some timeless pieces that everyone loves, and sure if you are in a jazz club this math doesn’t work.  But when you are a club band on a cruise ship, in a bar or in a hotel the math doesn’t lie.  Your customers, if they fall into that age 46 median, are going to want a little more Michael Jackson and a lot less Glen Miller.

To make a living giging…understand your financial picture.

So you want to be a professional musician huh?  Well here is a little advice. 

Because this is such a competitive industry now flooded with millions of new artists the chances of you landing a gig that will pay the mortgage, car payment, electric bill, cable, internet and put some food on the table is not that easy.  Trust me I have been doing this for a while now.

You are going to have to take an unbiased look at your financial picture.  If you have kids, a home and a wife whom likes the good life you may find it tough to make all that happen on the few dollars you will make playing dingy bars and clubs.  Think about this.  I have been playing professionally full time for a while now and I still average about $100 bucks a gig even after six years of playing.  This isn’t a fortune five hundred company and there is no cost of living increase yearly.  Compound that with the growing fact that fewer and fewer clubs are hiring live bands and many have music just one night and that equals a weekly paycheck of about $200.  Unless you live in Mexico this will not pay the bills.

Now don’t be discouraged by these facts.  Instead look at it as an opportunity to gauge the market.  Try finding those better gigs such as cruise ships, theaters, and hotels (if you got the chops) that provide somewhat stable income and incentives such as living quarters and meals. 

A second thought is this.  Your gross income is what you take in versus what you pay out.  So if you are a younger cat with fewer bills try keeping those expenses as low as possible.  Don’t lease a Mercedes when a VW will do.  Find cheaper rent and avoid eating out as much as possible and you will be surprised at how far your gig income will go. 

If you are serious about making a living as a musician you are going to have to become great with your money, and trust me musicians are notorious for not being good with the green, unless it can be smoked.  So don’t do what all the other players do, take some initiative in your financial picture and you will get by doing what you love. 

Sacrifices and Musical Reward

There is going to be a special moment in any true musicians life. A moment when you feel that pull of music, a force that will pull you away from the concept of a normal life, as you foster that force you will begin to notice how much sacrifice you are willing to accept to chase music’s pulling force.

I have felt that pull and with it I have endured my own sacrifices for music.  My first major challenge was handing over my interests in a successful and growing company.  Since then I have sacrificed so many facets attributed to a normal life.  Now in my early thirties I have no home, no wife, and no kids.  I lack so many of the possessions a person of my age should have.  In some sense of the word I have become a gypsy roaming from gig to gig.  But, with those sacrifices I have seen what I consider great rewards.  I have seen the world and met many interesting individuals along the way. Perhaps the greatest thing I have received is the music, be it playing in a small club to a few patrons or rocking thousands after they have demanded another encore.  I guess it is these small playing moments that make all the sacrifices worthwhile, for these small moments are something very few will ever experience.

Just the other evening I had one of these small moments.  A terrible illness had grounded our bandleader and front man, leaving the rest of us to make up a set of songs with what we had.  And, I have to say we rose to the challenge.

The first thing I must point out is that our regular show band consists of a repertoire of dance and top 40 hits from the 60’s to today.  Songs such as My Girl, Mustang Sally, and Pretty Woman, but without Jim’s leadership and vocal abilities these songs are difficult to achieve, so to make the evening successful the band changed up gears in moments. 

The bass player Brad and I made our way to the hotels five star dining room and approached pianist Greg Goodwin about helping us out.  With his acceptance we were able to match his amazing piano voicings with saxophonist EJ Hughes smooth style, Brad’s tick tock time and my old school jazz brushwork into a night of contemporary smooth jazz that was not only well received, but also well enjoyed.

I guess it is strange to say that all of those sacrifices were vindicated by such a small experience, but they were.  It is a powerful feeling as a musician to walk into an evening preparing for a train wreck only to have your musical brothering and your own skills reach the surface and show you just what you are made of musically, and what you have earned.  

1980's The Drumming Importance of Michael

In this installment of our great drummers of each decade series we find ourselves in the 1980’s.  There are dozens of great drummers from this era.  Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Dave Lombardo of Slayer, even Phil Collins became a household drummer name thanks to his sweet sounding gated reverb tom fills from “In the air tonight.”

As I researched the 1980’s I came across Michael Jacksons “Thriller” album and I feel that this album can help any drummer of any style to succeed because it touches on the fundamental lesson of our craft.  The dance.

Drumming is the eldest instrument, even outdating the voice.  It represents the heartbeat and in the most indigenous tribes of Africa the drummer is regarded with supreme authority because only he can speak with the God’s.  When the drummer or drummers played the tribe danced honoring the Gods.

It seems that in today’s competitive driven world we as drummers have overlooked that fundamental lesson in our craft.  We strive now to be the fastest or the one with the most blazing fill.  We forget that we are there to support the tribe, in this case the band and the audience. In doing that it means we must mature at our craft taking away ego driven fills and tempos and replacing them with movement and space. 

I chose “Thriller” for the 80’s because it is not the drummer I seek to listen to.  It is the immortal Michael Jackson.  In this tribe he is the leader of the drum circle and we must support him.  In return we shall dance!